Zip it, Charles.
That's the message Miami Heat superstar LeBron James had for Hall of Famer Charles Barkley following Miami's 101-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
It seems the three-time most valuable player was peeved with Barkley's critiques of teammate Dwaye Wade last week on TNT.
"It means Charles Barkley needs to shut up," James said, according to NBA.com. "I mean, the man [Wade] is shooting 80 percent from the floor the last couple of games. That's like, crazy, right? That's why he is who he is. Unbelievable."
Following last week's 20 point loss to the Knicks, the ever-colorful Barkley said that Wade was starting to “lose his athletic ability," the Washington Post reports.
"He's not the same guy," Barkley said, according to the Sun Sentinel. "I got a better look at him in person. He doesn't explode anymore and he's shooting a lot of fade-away jumpers."
But when all the points were totaled Monday, Wade's stats hardly painted a picture of an aging superstar.
In what ESPN reported was one of his most efficient performances of the season, Wade made 11 of 13 shots from the field and finished with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes. This is on top of another strong, 26-point performance on Saturday against New Orleans.
And, as Bleacher Report points out, Wade had been averaging 19.8 points going into Monday's game, while battling injuries for a majority of the 2012-13 regular season.
"I never really concerned myself with the noise that goes on outside here," Wade said, according to ESPN. "I just try to be as efficient as I can. Shooting 13 shots is not nothing I'm used to. Some nights you go 11-for-13 and some you go 3-for-13. I really didn't listen to the noise. I haven't been paying attention."